A Cannock charity that supports 50,000 young visitors a year has launched a £200,000 fundraising drive for a new podded village on Cannock Chase.
Beaudesert Outdoor Adventures is looking to create up to 10 sustainable eight-bed pods as part of expansion plans to offer overnight stays and longer retreats.
The charity, set on a former country estate, has been providing outdoor experiences for over 60 years, hosting schools, Scouts and Guides, youth groups and corporate teams.
The organisation needs to raise £200,000 over the next 18 months, and the challenge was kick-started by His Lordship, The Eighth Marquess of Anglesey, at an event earlier this week when he officially unveiled a new heritage information board in front of 50 special guests.
Martin Kirby, Operations Manager at Beaudesert Outdoor Adventures, said: “Demand for our outdoor adventure activities is growing every year, as we continue to support local schools and community groups to give young people access to a truly magical place that boosts their education, health and wellbeing.
“A new podded village – set in the picturesque setting of Cannock Chase – is our next big project and will open up a different type of accommodation that we can offer.”
The new heritage information board is the ninth and final one on the 120-acre site. Together, they cover the history of the estate, aiding history walks and giving self-led groups the opportunity to explore the grounds which opened in the 1930s.
Beaudesert was an estate and stately home given by Henry VIII to Sir William Paget, an ancestor of the first Marquis of Anglesey.
The Anglesey family added great treasures to and enlarged the Old Hall, but it lost its former glory during the reign of King George V.
Many of its treasures were sold off in a demolition sale in 1935 and, in 1937, the Marquis gifted the parkland to the Scouts, Guides and youth of Staffordshire.
Charles ‘Alex’ Paget, the Eighth Marquess of Anglesey, said: “My family’s connection with Beaudesert dates back nearly 100 years and we are extremely passionate about promoting its history, whilst also supporting the essential work it undertakes with young people.
“Due to the marvellous work done by the trust, people will now be able to appreciate Beaudesert’s history that is so marvellously explained by these well written and well-designed boards.”
Professor Elizabeth Barnes CBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, added: “I have worked in education all of my career, so I am always very grateful of anywhere that offers experiences for our young people, especially when you hear about the disadvantaged and disabled children we are supporting – not only in Staffordshire, but also from further afield.”
A fundraising page for the appeal can be found here.
